In 2019, trucks claimed 29% of lives snuffed out in accidents

Ludhiana: A total of 365 persons died in 526 road accidents in Ludhiana in the year 2019 and of all the modes of transport, truck/ lorry accidents claimed maximum lives, according to a data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The latest NCRB data suggests that deaths from truck/ lorry accidents have witnessed a significant increase over the last three years in the district, with out of 365 deaths in 2019, truck/ lorry accidents accounting for 105 or 28.76% of all casualties, which is more than from any other mode of transport.
Two-wheeler accidents saw the second-highest casualties at 73 and 62 persons died in accidents involving other motor vehicles in Ludhiana last year. The number of persons dying in car accidents was 45 and accidents of SUV/station wagon/etc caused 18 deaths, while 12 persons died in bus accidents in 2019.
Comparison of the data for the last three years suggests that there was a gradual rise in the number of deaths in the accidents involving truck/ lorry from 66 in 2017 to 105 in 2019, while two-wheeler accident casualties went up to 73 that year from 58 two years ago.
Similarly, the number of persons dying in accidents of other motor vehicles rose from 13 in 2017 to 62 in 2019, and the number of fatalities in accidents involving jeep increased from four to eight in those two years, while tractor accidents claimed 12 lives in 2019, up five from seven in 2017.
The data suggests that car accident-related deaths witnessed a fall from 74 in 2017 to 45 in 2019, those from bus accidents decreased from 15 in 2017 to 12 in 2019 and deaths in three wheelers/ auto rickshaw accidents were down to 10 in 2019 from 12 in 2017, though the casualties from such accidents was 16 in 2018.
Road safety experts said as fitness of commercial vehicles was not checked properly, they accounted for majority of road fatalities.
“Forty per cent of the road accidents involve old commercial vehicles, including trucks and lorries, among others. The main reason for this is fitness of these vehicles is not checked properly. As a result, unfit vehicles ply the roads. The number of deaths involving two-wheelers, which are victims of big vehicles, is also high,” said Kamaljit Soi, a road safety expert.
Mode of transport & fatalities in Ludhiana
Year Truck/Lorry Bus SUV/Stn Wagon Car Jeep
O V O V O V O V O V
2019 4+101=105 0+12=12 1+17=18 5+40=45 0+8=8
2018 0+77=77 2+11=13 0+9=9 5+54=59 1+5=6
2017 1+65=66 0+15=15 1+9=10 3+71=74 0+4=4
Year Tractor Three-wheelers Other motor vehicles/Auto rickshaw
O V O V O V O V
2019 4+8=12 4+6=10 55+18=73 0+62=62
2018 0+10=10 4+12=16 46+16=62 0+49=49
2017 1+6=7 3+9=12 36+22=58 0+13=13
(O = Offenders; V = Victims)